MICHAEL HIGDON put Celtic’s title celebrations on hold as he blitzed Dundee United with a record-breaking double for the Fir Park side.

Motherwell’s prolific hitman took his league tally for the season to 24 with his Tannadice double – a new post-war record for the Steelmen.

The previous record posting of 23 goals had stood since season 1975-76 when legendary striker Willie Pettigrew was in his pomp.

Now Englishman Higdon – out of contract in the summer – can lay claim to be a history-maker after his goals either side of a Henrik Ojamaa strike gave the Fir Park side a deserved win.

The victory for Stuart McCall’s side meant Celtic’s chances of winning the league while idle came to nothing and now need to take a point from Inverness tomorrow to clinch the SPL crown.

With this stirring win, Motherwell are in a strong position to finish best of the rest as they sit six points clear of Inverness, who have just four more games left to battle it out with the Lanarkshire side for second place.

Defeat was a crushing blow for United’s slim hopes of fighting it out for third in the league and the remaining Europa League spot.

Jon Daly did net for United, but it was to prove a consolation effort for the home side, who found visiting keeper Darren Randolph in top form, and remain sixth in the table – seven points away from third-top Caley Thistle.

United fans must have feared a hangover from the disappointment of losing Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final to Celtic.

And their worries were soon realised when the Well took a grip on the game and stormed into a two-goal lead after less than eight minutes.

Only three minutes had passed when James McFadden drifted wide and cut in from the left to feed Higdon.

Higdon was given far too much time and space to have a pop at goal, but the quality of his strike was still sensational.

The ball fairly fizzed past a helpless United keeper Radoslaw Cierzniak to hit the net off the inside of the Pole’s left-hand post.

A neat one-two with John Rankin put the teenager through and a cheeky chip only just drifted over the bar.

The match was like a basketball game at this stage – play raging from end to end with no one taking a chance for a breather.

But then Cierzniak pulled off a save from Chris Humphrey as the winger cut in from the right.

However, the Pole had no chance with the Well’s second. This time Henrik Ojamaa slipped past Rankin and Sean Dillon with staggering ease before coolly slotting his shot past Cierzniak before racing to celebrate with the small pocket of visiting fans in the Fair Play Stand.

United’s hopes of battling for a Europa League were now hanging by a thread and they needed to find a route back into the game from somewhere.

Well No.1 Randolph, though, was proving a tough man to beat as Gary Mackay-Steven’s cut-back allowed Jon Daly to clip a shot off the keeper’s chest.

Then the Irish goalie pulled off a save from Mackay-Steven as the winger raced away from Tom Hateley to get his shot in from 15 yards.

Motherwell held firm despite increased United pressure in the closing stages of the half and it was a chorus of frustrated jeers which rang out around Tannadice from the home support.

Ojamaa came close to adding to the Well’s lead nine minutes after the break with a first-time hooked shot from 20 yards which caught Cierzniak napping before dipping on to the roof of the net.

United fans must have feared a hangover from the disappointment of losing Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final to Celtic

But if United thought they’d dodged a bullet there then the killer shot was fired in 55 minutes.

Higdon did brilliantly to use his body to hold off Dillon and create an opening from nothing.

The Scouser accepted Humphrey’s pass, spun past the United centre-half in the same movement and then slotted the ball home from 18 yards.

Motherwell’s new record breaker was mobbed by his tram-mates and he deserved the adulation for his efforts in this game and over the season.

United did mount a comeback and hopes were raised when Daly brushed off Simon Ramsden to drive his shot through Randolph’s legs in 69 minutes.

Mackay-Steven then forced a brilliant diving save from Randolph, but the tempo could not be maintained and Motherwell cruised to victory.